Automatic self flushing sink



Dec. 16, 1958 A. L. HARDY 2,864,100

AUTOMATIC SELF FLUSHING SINK Filed Dec. 30, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1N VENIOR.

ALBERT l... HARDY BY 13-. DPIAM ms ATTORNEY Dec.16,1958 v A. L. HARDY 2,864,100

AUTOMATIC SELF FLUSHING SINK Filed Dec. 30, 1957 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Flee FlG.7

INVENTOR.

ALBERT L. HARDY I T b mkms ATTORNEY AUTOMATIC SELF FLU-Isll-HNG SINK Albert L. Hardy, Louisville, lKy., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application December 30, 1957, Serial No. 706,611

Claims. (til. 4-l87) This invention relates to sinks, and has as its principal object the provision of a sink including simple and effective means for automatically flushing soil particles in nexed to and forming a part of this specification.

Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of my invention it provide a sink of the type installed in kitchens and the like having a flow directing surface located in one corner of the sink, a water nozzle overhanging the flow directing surface, and means associated with the nozzle for periodically moving a stream of water across the flow directing surface so that a moving stream of water is caused to sweep across the bottom wall of the sink and sweep food particles thereon into the sink drain opening.

For a better understanding of my invention reference may be made to the following description and the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation view, in cross-section, of a sink embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevation view of one end of the reciprocating motion device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional-view taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Fig 4 is a top plan view of one of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top planview of the sink illustrated in Fig. l.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 77 in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 8-8 in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 9-9 in Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional viewtaken along the line re -1a in Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a sink having a rear wall 2,. and an upper wall 3 arranged to support a projecting water conduit 4 having a nozzle portion 5 located so as to direct a stream of water down wardly toward wall 2 of the sink. In accordance with the present invention, nozzle 5 and the structure associated therewith to be described below is arranged to provide a moving tream of water directed so as to flush the bottom Wall 6 of sink 1. In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawing, a reicprocating motion device of the type disclosed in application Serial No. 705,956, filed December 30, 1957, by Thomas E. Jenkins and me and assigned to the assignee of the preset application is utilized to impart sweeping movement to the flushing Water stream. However it will .be understood that invention is not limited to the particular States Fatent arrangement disclosed, and that any suitable reciprocating motion device may be utilized to impart periodic motion to the nozzle structure disclosed herein.

As shown in Fig. 1, conduit 4 is connected to and receives water from a water supply line 7 which in turn is connected to the outlet side of a solenoid valve 8, the inlet side of valve 8 being arranged to be connected to water line 9 of a domestic water supply system. Conduit 4 is secured to a generally cylindrical housing it which includes a water chamber ill communicating with the conduit, a fluid chamber 12 including a movable diaphragm 13 forming one wall thereof, and a fluid chamber 14 including a movable diaphragm 15 forming one of the walls thereof. It will be observed that diaphragm 13 also forms one wall of water chamber 11, and thus the volume of chamber 11 increases as the volume of chamber 12 decreases, and vice versa.

Fliud chambers 12 and 14 are separated by a common Wall 15 having therein a passageway 17 of relatively small cross-sectional area and a relatively large passageway 18 provided with a check valve 19 mounted on the free end of a flexible arm 21. Check valve 19 is located in chamber 12, and thus prevents flow of fluid therethro-ugh from chamber 12 to chamber 14 while freely permitting the flow of such fluid in the opposite direction.

Fixedly secured to the center portion of diaphragm 15 is a movable frame structure including arms 23 and 24 arranged to ride in guide members 25 and 26 respectively. Frame structure 22, and hence the center portion of diaphragm is, is biased to the right as viewed in Fig. 3 (i. e., toward a position in which the volume of fluid chamber 14 is at a minimum) by a pair of coiled spring members 27 and 28 which are secured at one end to frame structure 22 and at the other end to portions of housing member lltl.

Nozzle 5 of conduit 4 encloses a plug member 29 which substantially obstructs the interior of the nozzle so that water flowing through conduit 4 must pass through a drilled opening 39 formed in nozzle plug 29 before passing out through the open end of nozzle 5. Plug member 29 is mounted within nozzle 5 so as to be partially rotatable about its vertical axis and includes an arm member 31 to which is connected an actuating member 32 fixedly secured at its opposite end to the central portion of diaphragm 13. Thus it will be seen that as rod member 32 1S reciprocated by movement of diaphragm 13 that it imparts pivotal motion to nozzle plug 29 so that plug 29 is pivoted first ina counterclockwise direction and then in a clockwise direction (as viewed from a point above the sink) upon reciprocating movement of rod member 32. It will of course be understood that the flow restricting effect of passage 3b in nozzle plug 29 causes an appreciable build up in the pressure of the water flowing through conduit 4 when valve 8 is open, and hence that the waterpressure in water chamber ll tends to move diaphragm 13 to the left (as viewed Fig. 3) under these circumstances.

The biasing force of springs 27 and 28 is such that diaphragms l3 and 15 are shifted from the positions shown in Fig. l to the position shown in Fig. 3 whenever valve tl is open, it being understood that the water pressure in water chamber 11 forces diaphgram 13 in the direction just mentioned so that fluid in chamber 12; is forced through passageway 17 into fluid chamber 14, the pressure therein being sufllcient to overcome the biasing force of springs 27 and 28.

In order to permit diaphragms l3 and 15 to return to the position shown in Fig. 1, there is provided a ing a side wall portion of the sink. wall 2 and bottom wall 6, sink 1 includes side walls 34 extending therethrough and arranged to cooperate with a pair of switch actuators 35 and 36 which are carried by spaced ear portions of frame structure 22.

' For the purpose of calibration, actuators 35 and 36 are preferably threaded screws as illustrated in Fig. 1,.and

are arranged to shift pushbutton 34 to its opposite position each time frame structure 22 is moved to one extreme of its path of movement by the passage of fluid between fluid chambers 12 and 14. The contacts of switch 33 are arranged to open each time acutator 35 engages pushbutton 34 and to close each time actuator 36 engages the pushbutton, so that solenoid valve 8 is open each time the parts move to the position shown in Fig. l and is closed each time the diaphragms move to the position shown in Fig. 3. A control switch 37 is also connected in circuit with switch 33 and solenoid valve 8 so as to provide manually actuatable means for connecting the solenoid valve to power supply lines L1, L2. Switch 37 may be provided with a pushbutton actuator 38 having a stop element (not shown) for resiliently retaining the pushbutton in its depressed position and associated with a push rod 39 in operative engagement with swtich 37.

Referring now to Figs. 6-10 of the drawing, water inlet nozzle is mounted adjacent rear wall 2 of sink 1 so as to overlie one of its rear corner portions and direct a stream of water into the sink, and the reciprocating motion device described in the preceding paragraphs is arranged to periodically move the stream through an arc of movement such that the stream periodically sweeps across the bottom wall 6 after strik- In addition to rear 40 and 41 and a front wall 42 which extends upwardly from bottom wall 6. A sink drain opening 43 is located in the front corner portion of bottom wall 6 adjacent side wall 41, it being understood that drain opening 43 is connected to a suitable plumbing system drain pipe.

As shown in Fig. 5, water discharge opening in nozzle plug 29 is inclined at an angle with respect to the vertical axis of the plug and the nozzle so that water flowing therefrom is directed at an acute angle toward the adjacent side wall of the sink. In accordance with the present invention, a flow directing portion 44 is located in the rear corner portion of the sink formed by rear wall 2 and side wall and is shaped so as to direct the stream of water flowing from nozzle 5 across bottom wall 6 in a relatively narrow, rapidly i moving stream. Flow directing portion 44 is generally concave in configuration and is formed by a re-entrant concave wall section joining rear wall 2 and side wall 40. As shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, .flow directing portion 44 varies in cross-section from top to bottom and is so shaped that the stream of water flowing from nozzle 5 is smoothly deflected through an angle of approximately 90 so that after striking the surface of the flow directing portion it flows downwardly and then horizontally across the bottom wall of the sink.

As previously described, the reciprocating motion device illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 moves nozzle plug 29 about its axis in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed from the top of the sink) at a relatively slow predetermined rate, and after it is moved through an arc of an angular extent such that the water stream has swept across bottom wall 6 it returns the nozzle plug to its starting position at a relatively rapid predetermined speed whereupon the cycle of movement is repeated. Thestream is directed first along the path designated by the arrow 45 in Fig. 6, and as nozzle 29 i is rotated in a counterclockwise direction it sweeps reaches the position corresponding to the position of i 13 and 15. Switch 33 includes a pushbutton actuator the parts shown in Fig. 3 the stream flowing across the bottom wall of the sink follows the path indicated by the arrow 47, thus completing a sweep of the bottom wall of the sink. Nozzle plug 29 is then returned to its initial position, preferably at a much more rapid rate than the speed at which it moved in directing the water stream from the position indicated by arrow 45 to the position indicated by arrow 47. It will be understood that valve 8 is closed during return movement of nozzle plug 29, and that only the small quantity of water displaced by movement of diaphragm 13 is discharged from the nozzle during these intervals.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that the angularly moving water stream indicated by arrows 45, 46

,. and 47 (and the resulting water flow patterns indicated by arrows 45a, 46a and 47a) will function to sweep food particles and the like resting on the bottom wall of the sink toward drain opening 43 so that they are washed down the sink drain line.

It should of course be understood that the movable nozzle water directing arrangement of the present invention may not be suitable for supplying water to the sink for the various washing and other operations for which sinks are designed, and that therefore a separate water inlet spout of any suitable design such as a swinging spout designated by the numeral 43 may be employed. In other words, nozzle 5 and the motion transmitting structure described herein may be considered to be an auxiliary device specifically arranged to perform the function of cleaning food particles and the like from the bottom of the sink.

While, as previously described, any suitable motion transmitting device may be utilized to cause the water issuing from nozzle 5 to sweep across the bottom of the sink, a particular device of this nature has been disclosed herein, and for the purpose of providing a full and complete disclosure of this invention a description of the mode of operation of this device is set forth below.

Considering the operation of the reciprocating motion device, it will be seen that when pushbutton 38 is actuated so as to close the contacts of switch 37 (the parts being initially in the position shown in Fig. 1) valve 8 will immediately open inasmuch as contacts of switch 33 are closed and hence water will flow through conduit 7 to conduit 4 and out through nozzle 5. The resulting pressure in conduit 4 will be transmitted to water chamber 11 and thus diaphragm 13 will be shifted from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 3 at a rate determined by the cross sectional area of passage 17 through which fluid in fluid chamber 12 must pass to reach chamber 14. Movement of diaphragm 13 will be accompanied by corresponding movement of diaphragm 15 and as the diaphragms reach the position shown in Fig. 3 switch 33 will be actuated by engagement of pushbutton 34 with actuator 35, thus opening the contacts of switch 33 and de-energizing solenoid valve 8. As a result, the pressure in conduit 4 and water chamber 11 will drop to atmospheric pressure and the diaphragm 15 will be returned to the position shown in Fig. 1 by the force exerted by springs 27 and 28 on frame structure 22. The movement of diaphragm 15 in this direction will be relatively rapid inasmuch as check valve 19 opens under these circumstances to permit fluid in chamber 14 to rapidly pass to chamber 12 thus providing quick return movement of an actuator 32. When the parts have returned to the position shown in Fig. 1 pushbutton 34 is again actuated by actuator 36, solenoid valve 8 is again opened and the cycle described above is repeated. Thus it will be seen that a reciprocating motion is imparted to actuating member 32 and, as described above, this motion will be characterized by quick return motion of actuator 32 as it moves from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 1.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, I do not desire the invention to be limited to the particular construction disclosed, and I intend by the appended claims to cover all modifications within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

l. A sink comprising a generally horizontal bottom wall having a drain opening therein, side walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall, water inlet means overlying said bottom wall, and means associated with said water inlet means for directing a horizontal stream of water on said bottom wall, said last named means including means for periodically moving said stream through an arc of movement such that said stream periodically sweeps across said bottom wall.

2. A sink comprising a bottom wall having a drain opening therein, side walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall, water inlet means overlying said bottom wall, movable nozzle means associated with said water inlet means so as to direct a stream of water at an acute angle against one of said side walls so that it flows across said bottom wall, and means for periodically moving said nozzle means so as to periodically move said water stream through an arc of movement of an angular extent such that said stream periodically sweeps across said bottom wall.

3. A sink comprising a bottom wall having a drain opening therein, a pair of side walls, a front wall, a rear wall, a water inlet nozzle mounted adjacent said rear wall and overlying one of the rear corner portions of said bottom wall, the side and rear walls forming said one of the rear corner portions being joined by a concave reentrant flow directing wall portion, movable water directing means associated with said nozzle and arranged to direct a stream of water toward said fiow directing wall portion, and means for periodically moving said nozzle means so as to periodically move said water stream through an arc of movement of an angular extent such that said stream periodically sweeps across said bottom wall.

4. A sink comprising a horizontal bottom wall, first and second vertical side walls, a front wall, a vertical rear wall, a water inlet nozzle mounted adjacent said rear wall and overlying a first rear corner portion of said bottom wall adjacent said first side wall, said first side wall and said rear wall being joined by a generally vertical concave re-entrant flow directing Wall portion, a drain opening in the front corner portion of said bottom wall adjacent said second side wall, pivotally movable water directing means of water toward said flow directing wall portion, and a reciprocating motion device connected to said water directing means so as to periodically move said water stream through an arc of movement of an angular extent such that said stream periodically sweeps across said bottom wall.

5. A sink comprising a horizontal bottom wall, first and second vertical side walls, a front wall, a vertical rear wall, a water inlet nozzle mounted adjacent said rear wall and overlying a first rear corner portion of said bottom wall adjacent said first side wall, said first side wall and said rear wall being joined by a generally vertical concave re-entrant flow directing wall portion, a drain opening in the front corner portion of said bottom wall adjacent said second side wall, pivotally movable water directing means associated with'said nozzle and arranged to direct a narrow stream of water toward said flow directing wall portion, and a reciprocating motion device connected to said water directing means so as to periodically move said water stream through an arc of movement of an angular extent such that said stream periodically sweeps across said bottom wall, said reciprocating motion device including means for moving said water directing means at a relatively slow predetermined speed during the intervals when said stream sweeps across said bottom wall from a starting position parallel to said first wall toward said drain opening and at a relatively rapid predetermined speed during the intervals when said stream is returning to said starting position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,507,966 Filliung May 16, 1950 2,590,147 Bellamy Mar. 25, 1952 2,603,794 Bokser July 22, 1952 2,688,141 Filliung Sept. 7, 1954 2,786,210 Fraser Mar. 26, 1957 

